To interact with appropriate external agencies and committees regarding issues relating to accreditation of fellowship programs in pediatric pathology.

To interact with appropriate accrediting and certifying agencies to define a core curriculum for education and training in pediatric pathology.

To interact with certifying agencies and programs to assess the outcome of training in pediatric pathology, as measured by subspecialty certification and employment.

To facilitate communication regarding requirements for accreditation and certification, innovation and best-practice methodology in education, and other useful information among fellowship programs and program directors.

To participate in the development of activities to enhance educational opportunities for trainees in pediatric pathology.

To assist the Society in raising the visibility of pediatric pathology as a subspecialty choice among medical students and residents considering fellowships.

To assist in recruiting new trainees in pediatric pathology into the Society and its activities.

To assist the Society in matching the production of new trainees in pediatric pathology to the evolving manpower needs of the field.

II. The meetings of the Fellowship Committee:

The Fellowship Committee meets twice each year, in conjunction with the spring and fall meetings of the Society for Pediatric Pathology. Although the Committee has an official membership, the meetings are open to any interested individuals, and in particular fellowship directors and fellows are encouraged to attend and participate in the discussions.

III. Ongoing activities of the Fellowship Committee:

The Committee attempts to maintain a list of active fellowships in Pediatric Pathology, along with contact information for their program directors and current fellows.

The Committee has set up a list-server (based at the University of Washington and maintained by Dr. Laura Finn) to facilitate communication between pediatric pathology fellowship directors.

The membership of the Committee monitors changes in graduate medical education that might impact Pediatric Pathology fellowships, including requirements for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), requirements for certification in Pediatric Pathology by the American Board of Pathology, the ongoing negotiations between the Association of Pathology Chairs and the National Resident Matching Program over the implementation of a fellowship match in Pathology.

The Committee provides information and feedback to the accrediting and certifying bodies relevant to education and certification in Pediatric Pathology. For example, the Committee was recently consulted by the Residency Review Committee for Pathology, as the RRC began its consideration of possible updates to the program requirements for accreditation in Pediatric Pathology. The Committee will also take an active role in responding to the new requirements proposed by the RRC. The Committee also recently petitioned the American Board of Pathology successfully for a change in the Board's rules governing when a fellowship in Pediatric Pathology could begin; it can now begin after the second year of residency, as with most other Pathology subspecialty fellowships.

The memberships of the Committee provide liaisons between the Society for Pediatric Pathology and other professional organizations involved in graduate medical education, including the Intersociety Council for Pathology Information (ICPI) and the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

IV. Current initiatives of the Fellowship Committee:

The Fellowship Committee has recently drafted a guide for fellowship directors in Pediatric Pathology, based on the ACGME program requirements for accreditation by the ACGME. The manuscript is intended for eventual publication.

The Committee has begun an initiative in cooperation with the Resident In-Service Examination (RISE) Committee of the ASCP to create a Fellowship In-Service Examination for Pediatric Pathology, similar to the RISE and in-service exams sponsored in other subspecialties such as Hematopathology.